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TCBR
Trinity Centre
for Biodiversity Research
NEWS Dublin City of Science and the EuroScience Open Forum Prof. Gretchen Daily will be a guest of the TCBR at the ESOF
in Dublin in July and has kindly agreed to give a talk in Trinity
during her visit to Dublin. Gretchen, an ecologist by training,
is the Director of the Centre for Conservation Biology at
Stanford University. Photograph courtesy of nytimes.com
She is the author of the very influential book “Nature’s
Services: Societal Dependence on Natural Ecosystems”
published in 1997. Her work spans scientific research,
teaching, public education, and working with leaders to
advance practical approaches to environmental challenges.
Her scientific research is on countryside biogeography and
the future dynamics of biodiversity change; on the scope for
harmonizing biodiversity conservation and agriculture; on
quantifying the production and value of ecosystem services
across landscapes; and on new policy and finance
mechanisms for integrating conservation and human
development in major decisions. Her seminar will be on
Thursday 12th July 2012 in TCD. TCBR Biodiversity Marketing Group win award for
novel outreach ideas The biodiversity forum, largely lead by postgraduate
researchers, contains three active working groups: (1) Dublin
City of Science audio tour group, (2) Invasive species group,
and (3) Biodiversity in Our Lives. Photograph courtesy of Miles Newman www.tcd.ie/tcbr/[email protected]
Newsletter
Issue 4. March 2012 Edition
An offshoot of working group 3 is the biodiversity marketing
group which is led by postgraduate researcher Eileen Diskin.
The biodiversity marketing group focuses on promoting
awareness of biodiversity in our everyday lives and recently
entered the Trinity Foundation competition: Small changes‐
Big difference with a variety of novel ideas on how to best
market biodiversity to a general audience. The proposal was
a success and the team were allocated more seed money
than they had applied for. Congratulations to the group, we
look forward to seeing the fruits of their labour. Green Week Seminar on Biodiversity As part of the 10th annual Trinity College Green Week, the
TCBR hosted Éanna NíLamhna, well‐known environmental
commentator, regular on RTE’s Mooney Radio Show and
author of “Wild Dublin”, who gave a very witty and engaging
talk on Dublin’s Biodiversity. Éanna described the variety of
species to be found in Dublin and told some great stories
about these species and their interactions with people. Photograph courtesy of Dr. Jane Stout
TCBR City of Science Biodiversity Audio Tour The TCBR was awarded a small grant by the ESOF 2012
Dublin City of Science organisation committee for a proposal
under the topic of Public Participation Events. For this event the TCBR will be creating a Biodiversity Audio
Tour of Dublin City. Dr. Caoimhe Muldoon was recently
appointed as coordinator of the project, and will be putting
together an exciting and engaging audio programme, with
potential for collaboration with Arc’s Hack the City Exhibition
interactive biodiversity map. TCBR Researcher wins award for best forestry
presentation at ENVIRON 2012 Congratulations to Dr. Karen Moore who gave a wonderful
oral presentation at the ENVIRON conference in UCD on
Friday 8th March. Her presentation focused on “Factors
influencing the ground vegetation diversity of two successive
rotations of non‐native conifer plantations”. Trinity Centre for Biodiversity Research Newsletter
NEWS Overplaying the role of honeybees as pollinators TCBR researcher Dr. Jane Stout in collaboration with other
international experts recently published an important
comment paper following a publication by Aebi and Neumann
(2011). The paper highlights the danger of accepting
unsupported biodiversity‐conservation argument. The value
of honey bee research is widely advocated in both published
and broadcast media, despite the fact that native
bumblebees, which are under much greater threat of
extinction, are far more important as pollinators of both crop
plants and native wild plants. Their paper can be found at: www.cell.com/trends/ecology‐
evolution/fulltext/S0169‐5347(11)00353‐3. BioChange Synthesis Report now available
BioChange was an interdisciplinary study funded by the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The aim of the study
was to address issues facing biodiversity in Ireland now and in
the future by providing a cohesive research framework, with
direct links to both regional and national policy. http://www.epa.ie/downloads/pubs/re
search/biodiversity/ Agrobiodiversity Conference (NUIG) Ireland’s first Agrobiodiversity Conference, funded by the
Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM), was
recently hosted by NUIG on the 9th of February, 2012. The conference featured guest speakers from around the World,
with a rich wealth of expertise. The aim of the conference
was tonetwork and showcase research projects and initiatives
in Ireland for the conservation and sustainable use of genetic
resources (agrobiodiversity) for food and agriculture, in the
context of assessing the sustainabledevelopment challenges
facing Ireland with regards to genetic resource conservation
and food security. The conference was a great success and will hopefully be an
annual event. The key points recurring throughout the day
centered on the fact that we need to strive to broaden the
genetic base of the crops we require for food. ConorGretsch
from COHAB summed up the general feeling from the conference by stressing our need to show foresight
www.tcd.ie/tcbr/[email protected]
March 2012 Edition
“Sustainable develop must be our goal, genetic resources
which may not seem important now may become important
in the future”. More information about the conference can be found at: www.agbiodiversity.org Our Ocean Wealth‐ Public Consultation The government are in the process of developing an
Integrated Marine Plan for Ireland. This is open to public
consultation. Help ensure the government utilises our marine
resources not only in an economically sustainable way but
also in an ecologically sustainable way. Photograph from ouroceanwealth.ie
We constantly hear about the missing link between research
and policy, here is a chance to play your part in informing
marine policy‐makers by having your say. Visit
ouroceanwealth.ie to find out more. The consultation will be
open until the 31st of March 2012. PUBLICATIONS Aliscioni S, Bell HL, Besnard G, Christin PA, Columbus JT,
Duvall MR, Edwards EJ, Giussani L, Hasenstab‐Lehman K, Hilu
KW, Hodkinson TR, Ingram AL, Kellogg EA, Mashayekhi S,
Morrone O, Osborne CP, Salamin N, Schaefer H, Spriggs E,
Smith SA, Zuloaga F (2012). New grass phylogeny resolves
deep evolutionary relationships and discovers C4 origins. New
Phytologist, 193: 304‐ 312. Davies AR (2012). Geography and the matter of waste
mobilities. Transactions of the Institute of British
Geographers, 37(2), 191‐196. Davies AR, Doyle R, Pape J (2012). Spaces for sustainability
learning? Future visioning as a geographical process for
transforming production and consumption practices. Area,
44(1), 54‐60. Davies AR (2012). Enterprising Communities: Grassroots
Sustainability Innovations. London: Emerald. Trinity Centre for Biodiversity Research Newsletter
March 2012 Edition
RESEARCH FOCUS
PUBLICATIONS
Ernst A, Taylor PD, Bohaty J, Wyse Jackson PN (2012).
Homeomorphy in Lunostoma, a new Middle Devonian.
PalaontologischeZeitschrift, p1‐11. Jackson MC, Donohue I, Jackson AL, Britton JR, Harper DM,
Grey J (2012). Population‐level metrics of trophic structure
based on stable isotopes and their application to invasion
ecology, PLOS ONE, 7, pe31757. Kelly DJ, Marples NM (2012). Annual survival rate and mean
life span of lemon‐bellied white‐eyes
(Zosteropschlorisflavissimus) on Kaledupa island, Wakatobi,
SE Sulawesi, Indonesia. Forktail, 28(1). Misstear DB, Gill LW (2012). The inactivation of phages MS2,
ΦX174 and PR 772 using UV and solar photocatalysis. Journal
of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology , 107(6), 1‐8.
Mitchell SO, Baxter ET, Holland CV, Roger HD (2012).
Development of a novel histopathological gill scoring
protocol for assessment of gill health during a longitudinal
study in marine‐farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmosalar).
Aquaculture International, DOI 10.1007/5 10499. Ollerton J, Price V, Armbruster WS, Memmott J, Watts S,
Waser NM, Totland Ø, Goulson D, Alarcón R, Stout JC,
Tarrant S (2012). Overplaying the role of honey bees as
pollinators: A comment on Aebi and Neumann (2011),
Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 27(3), 141‐ 142. O'Neill B, Bond K, Tyner A, Sheppard R, Bryant T, Chapman J,
Bell J, Donnelly A (2012). Climatic warming advancing
phenology of moth species in Ireland.
EntomologiaExperimentalis et Applicata, 143: 74‐88. Parnell J and Curtis T (2012). Webb's An Irish Flora, 8th edition, Togher, Cork:
Cork University Press, 2012, 1 ‐ 504pp. Tanner CJ and Jackson AL (2012). Social structure emerges
via the interaction between local ecology and individual
behavior.,Journal of Animal Ecology, 81(1), 260‐ 267. Wuu‐Kuang S and Parnell J (2012). Three new species of
Syzygium (Myrtaceae) from Indochina, Kew Bulletin, 66: 1‐8.
Wyse Jackson PN, Reid CM, McKinney FK (2012). Fixation of
the type species of the genus Protoretepora de Koninck,
1878 (Bryozoa, Fenestrata), Alcheringa, 36: 1‐2. www.tcd.ie/tcbr/[email protected]
When marriage is good for your genes TCBR researchers recently published a paper in the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA
showing that marriages within small farming communities in
Africa may influence the genetic diversity of manioc, a crop
cultivated pantropically for its starchy, edible root often
referred to as cassava. Marc Delêtre, Doyle McKey and
Trevor Hodkinson analyzed how crop landraces are passed
on from one generation to the next, using the example of
maniocin Bantu societies of Gabon, central Africa. They
collected and genotyped varieties grown in 10 communities
in Gabon, and found that the genetic diversity of manioc
clustered into distinct geographic regions, with the greatest
diversity found in the southern part of the country, and the
lowest diversity in the north. The authors suggest that
regional differences in diversity may reflect in part the
different marital practices in the two regions: in the south,
where societies are matrilineal (i.e., children take the clan of
their mother), a new bride moves to her husband's village
and brings along manioc varieties from her mother's farm,
whereas in the north, where societies are patrilineal (i.e.,
clan membership is inherited from the father), new brides
move empty‐handed and receive manioc varieties from their
mothers‐in‐law. The result is that in patrilineal societies
there is no inflow of manioc cuttings accompanying the
inflow of women. According to the authors, understanding
the relationship between marriage exchanges and inter‐
generational transmission of crop seeds may help decipher
geographical patterns of crop diversity. For full detail see: Delêtre m, McKey BD and Hodkinson TR (2011). Marriage
exchanges, seed exchanges, and the dynamics of manioc
diversity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
of the United States of America 108: 18249‐18254. Photographs courtesy of Dr. Trevor Hodkinson Trinity Centre for Biodiversity Research Newsletter
RESEARCH
Comparative Phylogenetics Research We are delighted to welcome Dr. Natalie Cooper to the TCBR
team. Natalie has recently taken up position as a lecturer in
the Zoology Department, and leader of the Comparative
Phylogenetics Research Group. Photograph courtesy of Dr. Natalie Cooper Natalie’s research interests lie at the intersection of ecology
and evolution. Although she has mainly worked on mammals
in the past she has an interest in all things biodiversity
related. Her work utilizes phylogenies, ecological data, trait
data collected from museum specimens, species geographic
range maps and various databases to try and understand how
community‐level ecological interactions, such as competition,
predation and parasitism, can influence broad‐scale patterns
of biodiversity and macroevolution. Natalie’s PhD research
focused on using phylogenies to detect interspecific
competition in mammals, whilst her additional research has
investigated patterns of extinction risk in frogs. Most recently
she has been using phylogenetic comparative methods to investigate phylogenetic niche conservatism in terrestrial
vertebrates, and to predict parasite sharing among primates
and humans. She is also interested in developing and testing
phylogenetic comparative methods. At TCD she plans to extend her analyses by adding extinct
species into phylogenetic trees to see how extinct diversity
may influence the conclusions of evolutionary ecology
studies. She also aims to carry out some comparative
genomics and field work, mainly through a project on
adaptive radiation in Malagasy Tenrecs, which her PhD
student will be starting in October 2012. Patches in Miscanthus: Consequences for yield,
carbon sequestration and biodiversity Within the last six years the bioenergy crop Miscanthus x
giganteus has been introduced into the Irish landscape on a
large scale. The promise of high biomass yields and low
maintenance costs have moved the Irish government to
support farmers planting Miscanthus with subsidies covering up to 50% of establishment costs. In December 2011 the Dpt.
for Agriculture, Food, and the Marine started a new 2012
www.tcd.ie/tcbr/[email protected]
March 2012 Edition
FOCUS bioenergy scheme supporting the plantation of another 1400
ha of Miscanthus and willow with a €1.6m fund. Recent research by TCBR members has shown that
Miscanthus also provides additional ecosystem services. Dara
Stanley’s research indicates that solitary bees, wasps, and
butterflies can benefit from Miscanthus fields, subsequently
supporting the pollination of surrounding insect pollinated
crops and wild plants. Jesko Zimmermann measured
significant soil carbon sequestration rates under Miscanthus,
showing additional greenhouse gas savings and benefits for
soil fertility. However, during the field surveys large open
patches within the crop could be observed within most fields.
This has negative impacts on the biomass yield and soil
carbon sequestration. Former TCD researcher David Styles
and TCBR member Mike Jones showed that under current
market conditions in Ireland the gross margin of Miscanthus is
very low, leading to a situation where even these small losses
could be essential to profitability. In a recent experiment
Jesko Zimmermann measured significantly lower carbon
sequestration rates in the open patches and is now working
on a farm scale assessment of the potential loss of both
carbon sequestration and yield. Photograph courtesy of Susannah Cass The effect of patchiness on biodiversity is more complex. Two
recent MSc theses by Kate Harte and TCBR member Susannah
Cass have shown impacts of open patches on both flora and
fauna. Susannah’s research indicated that light availability, in
interaction with other crop related factors had a major impact
on non‐crop vegetation. However non‐crop vegetation height
was negatively influenced by patch size. Kate found that non‐
crop vegetation cover had a positive influence on spider and
carabid activity density, and that the total invertebrate
abundance was positively related to non‐crop vegetation
height. Open patch size, however, had a negative impact on
total invertebrate abundance. Although data on the influence
of patch size on yield is missing, preliminary data suggests
that open patches have a significant negative impact on
economic factors such as yield and offer no clear benefit on
biodiversity. Trinity Centre for Biodiversity R
Reesearch Newsletter
RESEARCH
Drraft Guidanc
ce Manual on Integratted Biodiversity Im
mpact Assessment Avaiilable for Co
onsultation
n Thee draft Guidance Manual o
on Integrated Biodiversity Impact
Asssessment (IBIA
A) is currentlyy been review
wed by internaational
exp
perts and will w
soon be available for wider public
con
nsultation. The purpose of the Man
nual is to provide
p
guiidance on how h
best to integrate the methodo
ological
pro
ocesses for Appropriate A
A
Assessment u
under the Haabitats
Dirrective and environmental assessmen
nt, including both
Strategic Environmental Assessment and a
Environm
mental
Imp
pact Assessment. It contains c
cleear and prractical
reccommendations on each of the metthodological steps,
inccluding the application of GIS teechniques and a
a
com
mprehensive list of biod
diversity dattasets availab
ble in
Ireland, together with a ‘step‐‐by‐step’ IBIA guidance. Thee aim of IBIA
A is to ensu
ure that the relevant pro
ocesses
req
quired under the differentt EU directivees and nation
nal law
con
nnect effectivvely and effficiently in order o
to provvide a
hollistic approach to biodiverssity impact asssessment, op
ptimise
tim
me and resou
urces, and avvoid unnecesssary duplication of
efforts. Moreovver, its objecttive is to info
orm the scop
pe and
outtcomes of thee different prrocesses in a timely manneer and
enccourage best practice. Thee draft Guidaance Manuall is the direcct outcome of o the
EPA
A‐funded ‘GIS‐supported Methodologgy for Integrated
Bio
odiversity Imp
pact Assessmeent’ in which TCBR membeers Dr.
Ain
nhoa González and Professsor Mike Jonees are collabo
orating
witth UCD and co
onsultants Sco
ottCawley Ltd. Mo
ore informatio
on can be foun
nd at: www.ucd.ie/ibia. ow can flam
mingos help us solve on
ne of the Ho
gre
eatest threaats to humaan health? Ressearch being ccarried out byy TCBR PhD sttudent Eileen Diskin
und
der the supeervision of Drr. Alison Donnelly demonsstrates
how
w collaboratio
on with experrts both within
n and outside of the
areea of biodivversity can benefit b
reseaarch projectss. Her
ressearch focusees on evaluating the prevaalence of anttibiotic
ressistance in natural environments, and a
has invvolved
collaborations with wildliffe biologistss, microbiologists,
gen
neticists, and more. Anttibiotic resisttance describ
bes when baacteria can survive
s
exp
posure to antiibiotics. Storiees about thesee bacteria app
pear in
thee news due to
o their very seerious implicaations in hosp
pitals –
seee the well‐‐publicized MRSA. M
In addition a
to being
pro
oblematic in hospitals and
d urban enviro
onments, anttibiotic
ressistance bacteeria have been
n found in nattural environm
ments. w
www.tcd.ie/tcb
br/biodiversity@
@tcd.ie
Marcch 2012 Edittion
FO
OCUS Wiithin these natural environments, wildlife w
can act as
resservoirs (i.e. stores) of antibiotic re
esistance, witth the
po
otential for trransfer back to humans. To investigatte this,
Eileen is using tthe Greater FFlamingo as a model organ
nism to
invvestigate the factors that may prom
mote, or drivve, the
pre
evalence of antibiotic resistant baacteria in natural
n
environments. In the first yeaar of her PhD she visited fivve sites
in Southern Europe E
to ccollect bacterial samples from
flamingos. She is currently wo
orking in Dublin University Dental
Ho
ospital’s micrrobiology lab
b analysing these samples to
determine resisttance to several antibioticss. Pho
otographs cou
urtesy of Eileen
n Diskin Eileen believes that her research providess a good exam
mple of
ho
ow our world’’s biodiversityy can be use
ed to study a broad
ran
nge of issues tthat have imp
plications for ssociety today. EVENTS Europe’s largesst multidiscip
plinary Sciencce Conferencce, the
5thhEuroScience O
Open Forum (ESOF), will ggather in Dublin City
fro
om the 12th‐16
6th of July, 20
012. For more
e information
n about
thiis event and associated sscientific festtivities, pleasee visit:
ww
ww.esof.eu, w
www.dublinsciience2012.ie//. The National Botanic B
Gardens will be hosting this year’s
IPSSAM conferen
nce, from thee 3rd‐5th of Ap
pril: For moree detail
vissit: www.botanicgardens.iee/IPSAM2012//index.html. The National Biodiversity B
D
Data Centre has a selecttion of
entification and recording worksho
ops running from
ide
February to Octtober 2012. For more inforrmation pleasse visit:
ww
ww.biodiversittyireland.ie/id
dentifying‐reccording‐irelands‐
bio
odiversity‐201
12/ Intterdisciplinaryy postgraduatte symposium
m showcasingg some
of the research
h currently beeing carried out o by TCD Zoology
Z
and Botany posttgraduates at on 16th‐17th A
April, 2012. Trinity Centre for Biodiversity Reseaarrch
22 H
Hamilton Building
Westland Row
Dublin 1
[email protected] // www.tcd.ie//tcbr